I am experimenting with eliminating white sugar and flour in 2011 to develop a closer relationship with my Higher Power, whom I choose to call "God," as well as to improve the pain level in my body. My goal is to replace my sugar/flour addiction with more frequent conscious contact with God so that I can better discern His will for me!

I'm still struggling with the time it takes to record my food and post it, but that's the only way I think I'm going to be able to get more clear on the food I actually eat and how much of it contains sugar and or flour. I need to slow myself down enough to know what I'm putting in my mouth and why. I have always liked the concept of internal "speed bumps" to slow myself down, and maybe I can look at my food-tracking as an external speed bump that helps my inner, spiritual evolution.

Speaking of slowing down, the inductive Bible study I've started doing really slows me down and prevents me from blowing through the books of the Bible -- like doing the Cliff Notes version. My pastor said in Bible study at the beginning of the survey class that to really understand the Bible and what it's saying to you and your life, you have to "eat" it, i.e., chew on it, take it into your gut, and let the contents of it seep into your blood and bones so it can nourish your mind and soul.

Of course, that's an analogy I can understand, the eating part at least. But like the Bible can nourish me if slow down long enough to "eat" it, so can food really nourish my body if I slow down enough to take note of what I'm eating and what the nutrients are. "Mindful eating" is the term, I believe, for this way of eating. Hmmmm, that gives me a new tool to work with: eating with mindfulness, reading the Bible with mindfulness. Living with mindfulness.

What would go better in your life if you slowed down? I'm curious to know :-)